AI Damage2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible filed 120 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 120
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 52% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 15% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 5% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 62 complaints (52% of all).
- Air bags: 18 complaints (15% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 7 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 7 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 120 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 62 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl contact owns a 2001 chrysler sebring convertible. While driving approximately 55 mph the contact lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash. The police appeared on the scene and the driver was injured.
The air bag did not deploy. Similar events have occurred a half dozen or more times before, but never with the same consequences. On previous occasions, the continuing acceleration stopped after a delay and I was able to bring the car to a stop, on two previous occasions, there was another auto a car length or more in…
The airbags failed to deploy. Two people were injured and had to be transported to the hospital. A police report was filed. The insurance company stated that the vehicle was destroyed. The contact believes that the impact was great enough for the airbags to have deployed. The powertrain was unknown.
The air bags did not deploy during the crash. The manufacturer stated that the crash did not create the longitudinal back to front deceleration necessary to deploy air bag. The onboard computer report stated that the air bags were operational. The crash destroyed the vehicle. The current mileage was 85000 .
Anti-lock brake failure. Hit black ice and started to skid. Applied moderate and then heavy pressure to the brake pedal. Wheels locked up without the anti-lock feature engaging at all, inducing loss of control, resulting in spin and crash.
Dt: caller said 3 times her air bag light come on, and had it fixed twice. She did not remember the first time. The second time was in august 2004 ,and the last time was on july 24, 2005. Caller's vehicle was involved in an accident on july 14, 2005.
Eventually, the wire came detached, making the rear defroster both inoperable and a fire/health hazard. A useless rear defroster means a useless rear window. No direct backwards visibility other than the outside rearview mirrors.
Just turning off the main busy road from driving 40-45mph and onto a small residential narrow street doing 25mph I suddenly heard very loud clunking noises si I immediately stopped the car and got out and noticed that my rear drivers side tire was slanting inward.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,130 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sebring Convertible has 73 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 120, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
- Sebring Convertible 199668 sources
- Sebring Convertible 199777 sources
- Sebring Convertible 199852 sources
- Sebring Convertible 199992 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200078 sources
- Sebring Convertible 2002121 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200324 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200462 sources
- Sebring Convertible 200539 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 120. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: engine failure or replacement (16%), knocking, grinding or other noise (16%), stalls while driving (14%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2001 Chrysler Sebring Convertible from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2001 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.